We’re Not Jews
I am jammed for time so I have but a moment to respond to The Middle’s post at Jewlicious.
And I thought to myself, Middle, he’s a good man. He’s a kind man. He’s the kind of person who could be your friend.
But I was also thinking, Middle, there is no peace because this good man who understands the ugliness of this violence and seeks to stop it, does not lament in the same way and does not call out for his Palestinian brethern to stop when the violence is directed at Israeli civilians.
Imagine, just imagine, dear Middle, I kept thinking, if there were a non-violent demonstration inside Gaza, attended by hundreds of unarmed men, women and children calling out for the end of suicide bombings, sniper attacks, Qassem rockets, and the denial of Israel’s existence. Imagine such a group calling out for peaceful negotiations and a compromise solution with Israel. Aah, then, I thought sadly, then my little Middle, then we will be on the road to peace and until that day, despite my deep sympathy for this man’s plight and despite my strong desire to help him, how can I see him as anything but a man who sees far less injustice when Israeli civilians are attacked? I mean, every single day he has the opportunity to speak out against Qassem rockets being launched at Israeli civilian neighborhoods. Yes, he speaks out like this when Palestinians are killing other Palestinians but where does he speak out when Palestinians target Israelis? And where are all the other Palestinians like him? Will I ever see a demonstration for peace and reconciliation in a Palestinian area?
I appreciate your sentiment and wish that things were different. It seems so easy, so logical to put down the weapons and go a different route. I agree with most of what you wrote. It makese sense.
But the thing is that I have limited faith, if any. This quote from the Daily Telegraph sums it up for me.
“They’re firing at us, firing RPGs, firing mortars. We’re not Jews,†the brother of Jamal Abu Jediyan, a Fatah commander, pleaded during a live telephone conversation with a Palestinian radio station.
Minutes later both men were dragged into the streets and riddled with bullets.
Words fail me. You can’t make peace with people who say things like this. Look at that line and replace “We’re not Jews with this: “They’re firing at us, RPG, firing mortars. We’re not animals.”
This sort of thought provides all the explanation you need for how terrorists are able to slaughter children, women and men with reckless abandon.
The Mighty Suicide Bomber
The other day I listened briefly to the foolish and misguided ramblings of a young man about the bravery of suicide bombers. For a moment I considered the merits of kicking him in the balls as hard as I could or alternatively punching him in the nose. I wanted to see if he considered my actions to be as brave as those he lauded.
Granted I wasn’t trying to murder anyone. I wasn’t hooked up to a bomb nor hopeful that my actions would bring me a houseful of grateful women. In fact about the only thing that we could say that we shared was a willingness to engage in a an unprovoked attack.
Being a peaceful fellow and someone that really doesn’t want to go to jail I opted not to try use my field goal form to stick his nuts up around his neck. Nor was I going to provide the free version of a nose job.
Instead I asked him to tell me about the brave leaders that send the bombers out. Tell me about these brave and noble men who send children to die while they lounge. He tried to convince me that there was no difference between them and the generals in the US army. When I gently reminded him that his comparison was inaccurate he became upset. Maybe it was because I reminded him that the soldiers weren’t human bombs and that there was a plan to try and bring them home.
Or maybe it was because the ignorant fop understood that his blarney and blather was bullshit. It doesn’t matter all that much to me. All I know is that we have yet to receive the gift of Meshaal, Haniyeh and Bin Laden serving their causes this way. With any luck these fine men will all fall down the stairs and break their necks.
Al-Qaeda Torture Handbook
The Smoking Gun has information about materials taken in a US Army raid on a house in Iraq.
MAY 24–In a recent raid on an al-Qaeda safe house in Iraq, U.S. military officials recovered an assortment of crude drawings depicting torture methods like “blowtorch to the skin” and “eye removal.” Along with the images, which you’ll find on the following pages, soldiers seized various torture implements, like meat cleavers, whips, and wire cutters. Photos of those items can be seen here. The images, which were just declassified by the Department of Defense, also include a picture of a ramshackle Baghdad safe house described as an “al-Qaeda torture chamber.”
I am more than a little disturbed by this. Scroll down the page and you can see the drawings here.
Hat Tip: EOW.
This Disgusts Me
Animals behave like this, people do not.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — Iraqi insurgents used two children as cover to get through a checkpoint in Baghdad and then blew up the car while the kids were still inside, a U.S. general said Tuesday.
The car went through a checkpoint Sunday and parked by a market across the street from a school, said Maj. Gen. Michael Barbero, deputy director for regional operations in the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Two adults jumped from the car, leaving the children in the back. Moments later, the car exploded, witnesses said.